Learn how trading actually works — before you risk a single naira
Ten short lessons in plain English. No jargon you have to Google, no promises of easy money, no signals group. Just the things a beginner has to understand before opening any account.
The order we suggest
You can jump anywhere, but this order is the one that keeps people from blowing up an account in week one.
What trading actually is — and what it is not
The honest definition, the three ways people lose before they start, and why "investing" and "trading" are different jobs.
6 min readHow to read a price chart
Candles, timeframes, and the three things a chart can honestly tell you. Everything else people claim to see in charts is optional.
7 min readWhat you can actually trade — options, forex, CFDs, stocks, crypto
The five products a beginner is offered, in one table, with the risk each one hides. Some are much harsher than they look on the signup page.
8 min readThe one rule that decides whether you survive: risk per trade
The 1–2% rule, why a 50% loss needs a 100% gain to undo, and the arithmetic of losing streaks. If you read one lesson, read this one.
7 min readOrders, stop loss and position size
How to turn "I'll risk 1%" into an actual number of lots or contracts, and the four order types you need. Also: what leverage really is.
7 min readWhy most beginners lose — the six specific mistakes
Not "they lacked discipline". Six concrete, named behaviours, each with the fix. Most people reading this are doing at least three.
6 min readTrading psychology, in practical terms
Fear, greed, FOMO and tilt are not character flaws — they are predictable states with mechanical countermeasures. Here are the countermeasures.
6 min readHow to use a demo account properly
A demo is free practice — and it teaches beginners the wrong lessons unless you set it up to mimic your real account. Here is how.
5 min readHow to judge a trading platform
Seven checks that matter, in order — and the three marketing features that matter far less than they look. Do the withdrawal test before the big deposit.
8 min readYour first 30 days — a concrete plan
Week by week, what to do and what not to. The plan is deliberately slow, because the fast version is the one that ends in week two.
6 min readTools
The three calculations that decide whether a beginner survives their first month.
Risk per trade calculator
How much money 1% of your account actually is — and what ten losses in a row would do to it.
Position size calculator
Turns "I will risk 1%" into an actual number of lots, given where your stop sits.
Break-even win rate
The share of trades you must win just to stand still. With fixed payouts it is never 50%.
What this site is — and what it is not
What Trade Basics is
- A free, self-paced set of lessons written for someone starting from zero.
- Calculators that answer the questions beginners actually have: how much can I risk, what does 2% of my account mean in naira.
- A short questionnaire that helps you work out what kind of trading platform matches your situation.
What it is not
- We are not a broker. You cannot deposit money here, and we never ask for money.
- We do not sell signals, courses, robots or "mentorship".
- We do not promise profit. Anyone who does is either lying or selling something.
Common questions
Do I need money to start learning?
No. Every lesson and tool on this site is free and needs no account. When you eventually want to practise on live charts, most platforms offer a demo mode funded with virtual money — that costs nothing either.
How much money do people usually start with?
Far less than most beginners assume. Many platforms let you fund an account with the equivalent of $5–$10. The size of your first deposit matters much less than whether you have a rule for how much of it you risk on a single trade — that is Lesson 4.
Can trading make me rich quickly?
No, and the honest answer is that most people who try lose money. Regulators around the world publish the same figure over and over: the majority of retail accounts end up in the red. Treat trading as a skill that takes months to build, not as a shortcut.
Is trading legal in my country?
In most countries, trading itself is legal for adults, but the rules for platforms differ a lot, and some platforms simply do not accept clients from certain countries. Check your national regulator's website before you deposit anywhere.
How long are the lessons?
Four to eight minutes each. The whole course is roughly an hour if you read it end to end.